it’s been a good week
an energy filled
fun
task slaying
lightening speed
production-brain week
with no guarantees
of course
but momentum is building,
the team is excited,
we’re on the verge
of releasing the trailer
and announcing screenings
~•~
A friend suggested I share detailed checklists.
So here’s a glimpse at the release team’s tasks from week five, three and a half months before the start of the screening tour.
Last week’s checklist
- finalize the billing block
- finish & master the trailer
- create a social media countdown for the trailer release
- schedule social media posts using Hootsuite
- wake up relieved that today’s social is already created & scheduled
- draft social media calendar with 1 major announcement each week starting March 8 & daily themed content starting in April
- schedule first press release for 3/8 at 11am
- work furiously on finishing the press kit and updating the website by 3/8
- complete pitch for theatrical booker to send to theaters
- have booker pitch to three Oregon venues to test the idea
- update tour schedule with new venues, dates & booker recommendations
- confirm the world premiere & plan the announcement
- realize that for the first time ever, I’m thinking of our world premiere as a piece of a whole instead of as a thing unto itself. feel massive relief
- re-confirm thirteen Oregon dates and provide schedule to venues
- confirm East Coast partnership and first non-Oregon national tour date
- update email signup forms so not confusing
- start fixing backend of Wordpress for blog migration but get distracted
- have too much fun helping with photoshop poster design
- submit photos to actors for approval (a task for many months ago)
- open up movie end credits file. stare at it blankly
- ask venues if we can do our own ticketing for special screenings
- attend two film industry events and discuss potential tour partnerships
- schedule a bowling tournament before one of our Saturday screenings
- start picking up spam calls from all over the country in case they are a venue, partner or festival. (they aren’t)
- review social engagement stats. posts are running at 20% engagement. try to figure out if this is meaningful
- consider how to keep the film page professional, quirky, cool and not desperate as we add content
- contact bydeluxe digital theatrical distribution to manage print trafficking
- experience immense relief that there are no longer VPF fees at one of our favorite theater chains
- arrange two screening after parties
- start wondering how we will eat & take showers while on the road
- consider that an empty airstream bus is better than no bus. wonder if a mattress, suitcase & storage tubs will suffice
- assign my daughter to design the inside of a potential airstream bus
- pretend that laundry, clutter, and food prep do not exist. gary picks up the pieces
- have random checkins with Flannery about getting her braces this week
- decide I can’t go skiing and might not again this year even though the snow is perfect
- wonder how I’ll manage a new 3-week commercial job in parallel with release planning
- choose to feel exceedingly grateful for the job and worry later
Next up checklist
- complete draft of social calendar & strategy
- schedule additional content in Hootsuite
- create video content guidelines
- create online store & ticket packages
- test the trailer DCP in the local theater before sending to venues
- finish end credits, visual effects, mastering & DCP of film
- create & print artwork (banners & posters) for venues to display
- update release funding plan including budget, sponsors and grants
- complete grant applications
- research markets, partners, & influencers. start testing each market
- contact press in first screening locations. obtain reviews
- update & consolidate email lists
- update website with synopsis, log line, new photos, & press materials
- make plan to contact distributors & sign contract minimum 4 months before VOD
- migrate the website to new server
- update investors, cast & crew on current release status & plans
~•~
I’m guessing many readers skipped much of that. Even I have a slight headache and feel anxious reading such a long list. Thankfully, tasks come one at a time.
I’m not sure about other industries… Film has been my context for most of my adult life.
The closest match might be event planning. I’ve often pondered that producing a film is like planning a wedding every day for twenty-five consecutive days. There is always the moment when I state, “It will all be over in ten weeks. Let’s go.” I feel a bit like that now, although it is more like twenty-five weeks.
Once I drop into “production brain”, everything else fades away: life, laundry, friends, family, food, walks, and time/weather/season awareness. Is it healthy? Maybe not. But I love it. And then it ends, and I rest and reconnect.
Possibly this pace can’t be sustained for six straight months, so I will learn to dance in and out of production brain, turning it on and off as needed.
Thankfully I’m not alone and have a team and incredible support system to back me up.
♡ Annie